My youth story cannot be a knight war

……

[“Hmm…!”]

【"Hey! Are you okay? How are you injured?!"

[Zaimokuza tried hard to stand up, but eventually fell forward due to lack of strength.]

[Today, just like the last time he faced No. 22, he activated the element awakening mode three times. His body had long been as weak as an old man who was about to run out of energy. He had no strength at all.]

[When they saw Zaimokuza staggering and about to fall, the girls from the light music club finally came to their senses, and quickly stood up and ran over to hold him up.]

[But when Tianzhong Ritsu, who was holding his arm, just opened her mouth, she saw the severe burns on Zaimokuza's neck and face and the blood flowing from the wounds, and the words she wanted to say were immediately stuck in her throat.]

[“Woo!”]

[Akiyama Mio, who was holding Zaimokuza's other arm, also saw the horrific injury. She was always timid and afraid of bloody things, so she was frightened and closed her eyes tightly and turned her head to the side.]

[“Big Brother, you are seriously injured!? Bandages! Where are the bandages!?”]

[Among the three, only Hirasawa Yui, who was the most nervous, was not afraid, but she was also very panicked when she saw the wound on Zaimokuza's body that was constantly oozing blood and staining his clothes red. He raised his arms but didn't know what to do, and his face, which still had baby fat, was full of panic. ]

[“Don’t worry, I’m fine… um.”]

【Looking at the three girls in front of him with different panic expressions and the same worry in their eyes, Zaimokuza smiled weakly and spoke softly while enduring the pain. 】

[“How can you be okay? You’re already injured like this! Just for, just to… protect us.”]

[Taizhong Ritsu immediately put the shocking news that "Unconfirmed Lifeform No. 4 is human" behind her, looking at the seriously injured Zaimokuza in front of her, and remembering his previous actions to protect her group, the tomboy who had always behaved very boyishly actually became a little choked up, and her bright big eyes slowly began to moisten. ]

[“Don’t worry, I’m really fine. This level of injury will heal in about a day for me.”]

【“One day? Really?”】

[After hearing what he said, Tian Zhongli, who was deeply remorseful, suddenly widened his eyes and whispered in astonishment. ]

[“Ah? My body is a little different from normal people, so I recover faster! Just like what my boss said before - oh! I remember, it was "The vitality of a fool is stronger than the most tenacious cockroach in the world"! ”]

[“Puchi! What is that… They are just making fun of you.”]

[After hearing what Zaimokuza said, Akiyama Mio, who was also feeling a little sad, couldn't help but turn her sorrow into joy and burst into laughter, with tears flowing from the corners of her eyes with long eyelashes.]

[“Well, what the Minister said was always right. I am indeed an idiot…hiss.”]

[Zaimokuza said this with his usual cheerful smile, but he couldn't help but twitch at the end of his words.]

[…Um, are you——an unidentified life form, or a human?]

[Akiyama Mio looked at Zaimokuza's face with a smile on her face, and after thinking of everything she had seen before, she couldn't help but ask.]

[She is really very curious now. It would be better to say that no one who saw that scene just now would not be curious.]

[Number 4 is actually a human being. This is definitely super news that is enough to shock everyone. It can be on the front page of the news for a month. ]

[“By the way! Who are you? Why can you transform into the same appearance as those unidentified life forms? Who are you——”]

[“Yes! I want to know too. I’m very curious!”]

【"Well……"】

[After she reminded them, the two people beside him also remembered this point. They all looked at Zaimokuza with surprise, whose smile began to stiffen because of this question. The shining stars in his eyes made him subconsciously want to avoid him, and he felt inexplicably guilty.]

[“Um? I’m actually a human. I only became like that because—wait!”]

【Zaimokuza was surprised by these three girls who were able to approach him without any sense of distance even after seeing his transformed appearance. He was a little hesitant about whether to answer their questions, and spoke with a stumbling voice.】

[But when he was halfway through his speech, Zaimokuza suddenly realized that something was wrong. ]

[——Wait, is there one person missing here? ]

【“Mr. Kosaka!”】

【Thinking of this, Zaimokuza suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart, and quickly turned his head to look at the place where Kousaka Kyousuke had just stood, which he had forgotten. Several girls also turned their heads to look over there as he spoke.】

[Seeing the familiar figure standing there, Zaimokuza breathed a sigh of relief and called out over there. ]

[“Mr. Kosaka, are you okay over there? No. 23 has been knocked down. The battle is over. You don’t have to stay there any longer!”]

【“…”】

[His right arm holding the shield guard fell to his side. Contrary to his usual behavior, Kousaka Kyousuke did not respond to Zaimokuza's words and just stood there in silence without moving.]

["Mr. Kosaka...?"]

【Zaimokuza also began to feel strange at this time, and he shouted again tentatively.】

【——Clang. 】

[In response, there was a sound of something heavy falling to the ground.]

[The white shield fell from Kousaka Kyosuke's right arm, white smoke emanating from the shield, and the sound of it hitting the ground echoed on the inexplicably silent riverbank.]

[…As if it were echoing in Zaimokuza’s heart.]

【“!?”】

【Seeing this scene, Zaimokuza's pupils shrank sharply, and just when he was about to shout out, a new situation occurred again.】

[Kousaka Kyosuke, this man who has always been tenacious and always stands tall like a pillar of support in his impression. ]

[Just like that, it fell down with a loud bang.]

【boom--】

[The sound of falling to the ground was not loud, but it was as if the whole world was collapsing at that moment, a loud sound without a sound. ]

["——Mr. Kosaka!!!"]

29. The Cross of Destiny (Three in One)

Chiba Prefecture, Takasaka family.

Regarding the "Kousuke Kousaka" on the light curtain who seemed to be seriously injured and unconscious again, Kousaka Daisuke's expression seemed calm.

If it were before, although Daisuke Kousaka would not show it on his face, he would always feel heavy inside and worried about the safety of his future son.

But after witnessing "Kousuke Kosaka" being hospitalized in so many different positions of injury, Kosaka Daisuke has long been accustomed to it. He can even calmly make tea and drink it while watching his son fall down. He looks like he just needs a bag of potato chips or popcorn to join the crowd.

"It's okay, Kanao, Kyousuke will be fine."

He comforted his wife while hugging her and drinking green tea.

[“Mr. Kosaka, are you okay? Wake up!”]

【Zaimokuza was supported by several girls from the light music club and ran to the side of the collapsed Kousaka Kyosuke. With an anxious expression, he hugged the unconscious Kousaka Kyosuke and turned his prone body over, shaking it and shouting loudly.】

Lying in Zaimokuza's arms, Kousaka Kyousuke showed no response to his calls. His previously illuminated red compound eyes had now dimmed. Now, motionless and wearing his GO, he looked like a meticulously crafted life-size figurine whose battery had run out and lost its power source.

【"hateful!"】

【Zaimokuza realized that something must be wrong when he saw that Kousaka Kyosuke did not respond to his call. Anxiously, he reached out and groped behind the helmet. When his fingers felt an abnormal bulge on the back of his neck that was opposite to the smooth touch of the surrounding iron sheets, he immediately pressed it without hesitation.】

【Click.】

[The tiny gears at the lower jaw of the helmet made a mechanical sound, and the iron plate at the neck was retracted into the helmet's built-in cavity, revealing Kousaka Kyosuke's short black hair soaked with sweat.]

["Mr. Kousaka!?"]

【Zaimokuza immediately removed the unlocked helmet from Kousaka Kyousuke's head, and was horrified when he saw his face hidden under the helmet.】

[Kousaka Kyosuke's eyes were tightly closed, and his furrowed eyebrows showed his current state. His unconscious expression was also full of fatigue. Red blood flowed down from the wound on his forehead, staining half of Kousaka Kyosuke's face red.]

[“Mr. Kosaka, can you hear me? Hello!?”]

Zaimokuza tucked the removed helmet into the arms of Yui Hirasawa, who was looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and worry on her face. He then gently laid the unconscious Kousaka Kyousuke flat on the ground, then leaned over his chest through his GO armor and listened attentively.

[Plop——]

[“Huh… Not bad.”]

[When he heard the heartbeat that was as strong as ever than his own, Zaimokuza couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. This at least meant that Kousaka Kyousuke was fine.]

【“Xiao Li, Xiao Mio, Wei, everyone!”】

[“Seniors!”]

[Just then, the girls in the light music club turned around after hearing a shout from behind, and saw Kotobuki with tears on her face and Nakano Azusa who had woken up running towards them from the river bank.]

【“?…”】

[“You big fools!”]

[Before the surprised Akiyama Mio could say anything, Kotobuki, who jumped into her arms, knocked her back several steps, and she was so flustered that she didn't know where to put her hands.]

[“Senior Wei! Senior Lu! Are you all right!?”]

[“Ah? Azi-nyan——Ugh!”]

[“Ouch! I can’t breathe!”]

Elsewhere, Ritsu Tainaka and Yui Hirasawa, who was playing with her GO helmet, were also embraced by the tearful Azusa Nakano. His slender, fair arms gripped their shoulders with immense force, causing their faces to flush red.

[“You big idiots! This is too much! You threw Xiao Zi to someone else and said, “We are going to help number four” and then ran here. My heart almost stopped beating, you know!”]

[Kotobuki, who was hugging Akiyama Mio, also reached out and hugged her slender waist. The huge force made Akiyama Mio feel that what was hugging her was not a pair of slender jade arms, but a pair of iron clamps made of fine steel, which made it difficult for her to even breathe.]

【"……sorry."】

[But when she saw Kotobuki's face, which was covered with tears and her makeup was washed off, Mio Akiyama's inner tenderness and guilt overwhelmed her physical discomfort. She gently reached out and stroked her long yellow hair, holding her whole face in her arms.]

[“Hey? Senior Wei, what is that in your hand, a helmet?”]

[On the other side, Nakano Azusa let go of the two people who were almost suffocated after being comforted, sniffed her red nose from crying, and looked at the helmet in Hirasawa Yui's hand and asked in a somewhat strange manner. ]

[“This? This is something that belongs to the armored hero who looks like No. 4. It was given to me by No. 4, big brother!”]

[Hirasawa Yui hugged the helmet to his waist and proudly raised his barren chest and said.]

【"……ha?"】

【"Well……"】

【Faced with Nakano Azusa who asked him three hellos because of Hirasawa Yui's explanation, Tianzhong Ritsu helplessly covered her face with her hands. 】

[“Who are these two people…!?”]

[After letting go of Akiyama Mio and calming down her excitement, Kotobuki also noticed Zaimokuza and Kousaka Kyosuke behind them and observed them carefully.]

[When she saw Kousaka Kyosuke lying on the ground in his armor and with blood all over his face, her two thick eyebrows suddenly wrinkled, and then Kotobuki remembered something and opened her eyes wide in surprise. ]

[“This person! Isn’t the person lying on the ground the policeman who protected us from the battle between No. 6 and No. 4? I remember his name was Officer Kosaka.”]

[She was the best in the entire light music club in terms of academic performance and memory, and she immediately recognized the true identity of Kousaka Kyousuke. He was the cold-faced police officer who drove them away from the riot.]

[“Huh? Is it really him! Officer Kosaka!?”]

[Listen to the sound of the zither? After hearing this, Tianzhong Ritsuya slapped his head and suddenly realized it, and then looked at the unconscious Kousaka Kyosuke nervously. 】

"Um, ah, please tell me, is Officer Kousaka okay? Ugh! Can Danni also scream!"

[“Uh, don’t worry, I’m still… fine, it’s Officer Kosaka—”]

【Zaimokuza looked at the girl dressed in a very boyish way, her eyes filled with tears after she bit her tongue and spoke incoherently, and smiled helplessly, but when he turned his head to look at the sleeping Kousaka Kyousuke, he could not hide the worry between his brows.】

[“Senior Wei, what are you doing with this helmet?”]

"I want to try it on! It looks really cool, but it's pitch black inside and I can't see clearly—Ahhh! Why can't I pull my head out? Hey? Suddenly, my vision lights up? Wow! I can see so clearly!"

[“Senior, what’s wrong!?”]

[Click——]

Zaimokuza instinctively turned his gaze to the sound of fighting from the other side. He saw Hirasawa Yui, who had donned a GO helmet out of curiosity, waving her hands and feet in panic. The pair of red compound eyes on the mask's face lit up again with the sound of twisting mechanisms.

[“Moshimoshi, Yoshiki, can you hear me? Hello?”]

[After the compound eyes lit up, another female voice with a sense of cynicism suddenly sounded through the built-in loudspeaker of the helmet, startling everyone present.]

[“Wow! Yui-senpai’s voice has changed!”]

[“Hey, hey, hey! Why has my voice changed? But it’s become so mature?”]

[Hirasawa Yui and Nakano Azusa, who was closest to her, were both frightened by the sudden strange voice, and the worried Zaimokuza looked over in doubt when he heard someone calling his name.]

[“That voice…!”]